Stettler, Alberta - Wearing a helmet while riding on off-highway vehicles (OHV) seems like a common sense decision to many, but to others it's a painful measure for their outdoor activities.
If the Alberta Ministry of Transportation has its way, though, it won't be so much a choice as a requirement.
"For years, Albertans have been asking their government to take action to reduce the unnecessary injuries and deaths caused by head injuries on OHVs," Brian Mason, the minister of transportation, said in a press release. "If passed, the proposed amendments to the Traffic Safety Act (TSA) would help prevent injuries and keep families safe and whole."
If approved, the amendments to the TSA will make it mandatory to wear helmets when recreationally riding OHVs. This includes snowmobiles, motorbikes and all terrain vehicles (ATVs).
According to the Injury Prevention Centre, nearly 20 people are killed in Alberta every year while riding OHVs, and each year there are more than 6,000 OHV-related emergency room trips. Last year alone, more than a thousand children under the age of 16 were injured while riding OHVs.
Stettler RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Phil Penny doesn't use OHVs recreationally, but in some of his previous postings—in the far northern reaches of Canada—OHV use in the form of snowmobiles and ATVs were a regular part of work.
"(The proposed changes) seem to be appropriate," Penny said. "Only time will tell the impact these changes will have. It will also depend on the willingness of people to adhere to the changes."
Laurence Fisher, a board member with the Stettler Motocross Club, said the proposed changes are a "bit behind the times."
"I think most recreational users wear a helmet anyways," he said. "I've never personally rode with someone who hasn't taken the most basic of precautions in a helmet. Most motocross riders wear more safety equipment than less."
Earlier this year, seven-year-old Ryder Cooper was riding at the track when a freak accident had another rider come down and land on him. Without his chest guard and helmet, the collision would have most certainly been fatal, Fisher suggested. As it was, Cooper spent weeks in the hospital, some of it in a coma. He is expected to fully recover, but has to stay off the track for a full year before he can take up the sport again.
If approved, the TSA changes would bring Alberta's OHV helmet laws more in line with the laws across Canada, as all provinces and territories except Manitoba and the Yukon require the wearing of helmets during use. Manitoba "strongly recommends" riders wear helmets, and riders must wear a helmet if under 16, or on a maintained roadway, in the Yukon.
Since the most basic of helmets that would be acceptable under the law start at $125, there's no reason for someone who is buying an OHV for thousands of dollars to not be able to purchase a helmet, according to Will Whiteside at Romar Power Sports.
"You shouldn't be operating (an OHV) without a helmet," he said. "It's just not safe. I ride a dirt bike and I give it no second thought. It's just safety."
Romar Power Sports offers a wide variety of safety gear in addition to helmets, such as chest, knee, and elbow protectors, Whiteside said, so there's no reason for anyone to get on a motorbike, snowmobile or ATV without the appropriate protection.
"It seems sort of weird that it's not law," he said. "I've always been taught, ever since I was young, to wear a helmet. I've never not."
There are exceptions to the proposed amendments. The TSA does not affect individuals who use OHVs for farming or ranching work—the use of OHVs for this type of work is covered under the Health and Safety Act.
The use of OHVs on private property, or on First Nations/Métis treaty lands, is also exempt from the proposed changes. There is also room in the proposed changes to propose future exemptions, such as in cases where the OHVs have "prescribed roll protection or seat belts," the Ministry of Transportation said in its press release.
The proposed changes are something the Tail Creek Snowbirds, Stettler's snowmobile club, can get behind, board member Monte Turre said.
"I don't know why you wouldn't wear a helmet," he said. In addition to keeping the head safe, it also keeps the head warm, and the face shield protects the face from the bitter winter winds. Most importantly, though, it's the safe environment in the club that matters, Turre said.
"The club is about family oriented fun," he said. "And it ain't no fun if family gets hurt."
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